


79 Percent

by wyoheartsmusic



Category: SKAM (TV)
Genre: Boy Squad, Confident!Isak, Even is desperate, Everyone Is Gay, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Girl Squad - Freeform, Isak doesn't even question it, Just tooth-rotting fluff, M/M, The Balloon Squad (SKAM), a tiny bit of angst but when you blink it's gone, because why not, everything is better in this universe, less pain for everyone, make an appearance, or maybe not everything but a lot of things, photo booth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-07
Updated: 2017-10-11
Packaged: 2019-01-10 03:48:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12290568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wyoheartsmusic/pseuds/wyoheartsmusic
Summary: Isak helps Even out in a desperate situation.





	1. The Photo Booth

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this last night after I told everyone I'd go to bed but couldn't actually sleep because the interview pics were stuck in my head. So this one is inspired by the photo booth-style pictures.
> 
> (Apparently, I have a think for Fake Relationships but I mean... it's a great trope)
> 
> This is for my Skamfiction family (as always) even though I didn't hear a YESSS WYO for this idea. So.... surprise ;)

“Hey! You! Yes, I’m talking to you.”

Even watched the boy look around in confusion, trying to figure out where the voice was coming from. And well, if Even weren’t so fucking desperate, he’d have never gone to such measures but he _was_ fucking desperate so he reached past the curtain and pulled the boy towards him at the back of his shirt.

Somehow, he didn’t expect to suddenly have a lapful of gorgeous boy.

“Huh?” The boy with the frightened doe eyes said unintelligently. 

Even winced, scratching the back of his neck. “Uh, halla?” This was not going well. He needed to get his shit together if he wanted to pull this off in any way. Seeing the disappointment and worry in his mother’s eyes again would be far worse than this was.

The boy furrowed his brow, slowly recovering from the initial shock. “ _This_ ,” His arms flailed around the small photo booth, “Is kinda weird. I’m gonna… go. Yep, that’s what I’m going to do!” 

He was about to stand up but Even panicked and wrapped both arms around him, caging him in. Even saw his whole life flash before his eyes; this was a stranger and he was behaving like a fucking weirdo. “Please,” He blurted because he had no dignity left, “Can you stay? I— okay, this is super awkward, I know, but maybe could you lend me five minutes of your time and maybe your pretty face?” Even pressed his lips together tightly, regretting all of his life choices.

Surprisingly, instead of being more affronted, a small smile played on the boy’s lips. (Even tried not to stare too hard at those lips but damn it, they were gorgeous.) “I _do_ have a pretty face,” He agreed cockily and his tone turned suggestive when he added, “What can my pretty face and I do for you?”

Even heaved a sigh. There was hope blooming in his chest that this wasn’t as hopeless as he thought it would be. “Can we take some pictures together? _Couple-y_ pictures? I’ll give you 50 kroner! Or 500!” Wow, he really was desperate, wasn’t he?

The boy snorted. “As much as I’d _love_ to hear that story, I’m late for my study date with the best bud and she’ll kill me anyway but the sooner I get there, the less painful it will be. So let’s just take those pictures. Oh, and I don’t want your money but maybe tell me your name so I don’t have to call you Pretty Boy when I tell this story to my friends!”

Breathing suddenly seemed like a foreign concept. This gorgeous boy thought he was pretty! “O-okay. I’m Even,” He mumbled, fidgeting around so much that the boy almost lost his balance because _right_ , he was still perched on Even’s lap.

“Alright, Even,” He had an arm wrapped around Even’s neck now to steady himself, “How do you want me?”

Even was not thinking any dirty thoughts. Nope, he was completely professional. This was just a business deal and even though he had told his mother that he did have a boyfriend these days — which was exactly the reason why he was in this mess in the first place — he didn’t actually _need_ one. This was just to get his mother off his back. As he said, _purely business_.

With the lack of an answer, the boy took matters into his own hands, pushing the button for the machine to start the countdown for the first photo and instructed, “Try to look more comfortable to have a boy in your lap, jeez.”

The flash went off while the boy showed off his brightest grin, looking as if he wanted to be right there and nowhere else and Even just stared at the side of his face completely in awe. It was a stupid picture, Even was sure.

For the next one, Even tried to focus more, seem more convincing but again, the boy took the lead as he dropped his head on Even’s shoulder and Even was glad for it. A small smile was playing on Even’s lips while the boy’s eyes were closed and he hid half his face against Even’s sweater.

The third one showed Even laughing with his eyes crinkled because the boy had decided to make it look like he was whispering something intimate to Even, except that he _actually_ said something and well— “Statistics show that 79 % of the couples using a photo booth use it for public sex,” would make a lot of people laugh probably.

Even squinted at him, suspicious. “That’s not true,” He called him out.

The boy shrugged, looking all kinds of smug. “You can’t prove that,” He pointed out, biting his lip cutely and maybe Even imagined it but he thought the boy’s gaze dropped to his lips for a second.

“Well you can’t prove it either, can you?”

He licked his lips (Even swore it was in slow motion), ready to reply, when the flash went off for the fourth time, reminding them that they were still in a photo booth. “Oh shit… sorry,” He mumbled, blinking a few times as if to shake himself out of something, “Well, fun’s over. Thanks for the laugh, Even!”

Before Even could react, the boy was out of his lap and had pushed the curtain aside. He was the first to pick up the pictures, huffing a laugh when he tore them apart in the middle. He quickly stuffed the lower two photos in the back pocket of his jeans, smirking when he handed the other two to Even, who still sat on the stool, feeling a little overwhelmed with the sudden loss of (artificial) intimacy between them.

“Bye, Even!” The boy grinned and then turned around to walk away. He had walked a few metres when he faced Even again and called, “My name’s Isak. If you need to put a name to this pretty face!” He winked and then the crowd swallowed him up and he was gone.

Even looked down at the two photos in his hands, smiling stupidly. _Isak_.

His mother would be over the moon with getting proof of Even being so happy with his boyfriend and the only thing Even had to worry about was not loosing sleep over thinking too much about his gorgeous pretend boyfriend.


	2. The Grocery Shop

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Halla!
> 
> Paula, here you have the second chapter :))
> 
> This took a surprising turn toward the end...
> 
> This is unbeta-ed as always sorry *hides*
> 
> I hope you like it! <3

“Isak?”

It was the second time this week that someone, whose voice he’d never heard before, tried to get his attention.

Except this time he wasn’t pulled into a handsome stranger’s lap. No, this time when he turned around, a tall middle-aged woman was charging at him and wrapping him up in a tight hug. He was so surprised by it that he could only think so far as to not drop his grocery basket.

From the corner of his eye, he could see an awkward boy, shuffling his feet and staring at the ground. _Even_.

The embrace he was currently locked in suddenly made a whole lot more sense. Isak’s eyes widened. It had only been a couple of days since the photo booth incident but he still carried around the two pictures which by now were crinkled with dog ears because he looked at them so much and then quickly pushed them back in his jeans pocket. 

He still couldn’t believe how absolutely gone he looked for that stranger in the second picture. Which was why he had taken the pictures in the first place. He couldn’t let Even see him like this.

The woman — Even’s _mum_ , shit — pulled away and beamed at him. “Even’s… mum,” Isak croaked, weakly and miserably. He felt heat rising up in his cheeks. He didn’t dare looking over at Even so maybe they could communicate how they were supposed to handle this Situation TM .

“Sybille,” She supplied easily, unaware of the tension around her.

Isak took a deep breath, his face smoothing over into an expression of polite excitement. “It’s so lovely to finally meet you, Sybille! Even does _not_ shut up about you!” He only noticed Even’s gaze shooting up from the ground because the movement was so abrupt that it must have actually hurt.

Sybille raised her eyebrows, her eyes darting to her son for a second before landing back on Isak. “Well, apparently my name was not one of those things he can’t shut up about,” She noted drily.

This woman, _goddamnit_. She really wasn’t going to make this easy, was she? While Even’s expression turned from panicked to defeated, Isak put on his most winning smile. “It’s always, _Oh Isak, my mum is so great at this and she always does that and I love her so much_. I didn’t need a name to know what an amazing woman you are, Sybille!” He winked at her and while he had no idea what kind of bullshit he was spewing, it seemed to do the trick because he could basically see her melt into a puddle of goo right before his eyes.

“Is that so?” She preened, looking back at Even.

Isak widened his eyes, hoping that was enough to tell him to _fucking play along_. “Uh… yeah. That— is. So,” Even replied with a stutter that could very easily blow their cover. Isak winced. (He shouldn’t care so fucking much about this.)

Luckily, Sybille was buzzing so much about meeting Isak that she barely paid attention to her son. She suddenly eyed the contents of Isak’s basket with interest. “This looks like it’s going to be delicious! What are you making?” She started rummaging through the groceries, picking up some tomatoes and eyeing them before putting them down again and inspecting the next thing.

“Ravioli… it’s a recipe I got from my mother,” He supplied.

Sybille clapped her hands together, smiling. “Well, you can just cook at our house!”

For once, Isak was speechless. How could he even politely deny that?

Even jumped to his rescue. “Mamma!” He exclaimed, “You can’t just invite him over to cook for us!”

She furrowed her brow and snapped, “Of course I can! You kept this pretty face a secret from us for so long! Your dad and I deserve to be cooked for!”

That shut Even up and Isak just sighed, giving in to his fate. He argued with himself that he’d have eaten on those raviolis for the next four days; now with the chance of making them for more people, at least he wouldn’t get sick of them. “I’d love to cook for you,” He told her, “And apparently, my raviolis are to die for, right, Evvy?” He winked at Even.

“Right.” The scowl on Even’s face might have been the most adorable thing Isak had ever seen.

Sybille, in her excitement, hugged Isak again. “Are you done with your shopping then, Isak? Just come home with us straight away, it’s almost dinner time anyway. Oh, did you get here by car? You can just follow us!”

Isak blinked a couple of times uselessly, trying to catch up with the onslaught of words. “No, I… took the tram. And I’m done, yeah.”

So they paid and Isak was going home with two absolute strangers, one of which was his fake boyfriend and the other was probably already imagining a future with little mini-Isaks and mini-Evens.

If Isak was honest, the whole ordeal was a little amusing. Okay, a lot, he corrected when he watched Sybille bouncing ahead of them. Isak wrapped his hands around Even’s arm, cuddling up to him. It had been two days since he had sat in the guy’s lap and that had been _cosy_ … there was nothing wrong with wanting that comfortableness back. “I told you I had a pretty face!” Isak winked at him, grinning when he noticed the blush on Even’s cheeks.

“Fuck off,” He grumbled.

“Evvy baby, why in such a sour mood?” Isak teased and then shot Sybille his most charming smile when she turned around to look fondly at them.

“Call me Evvy one more time and this whole arrangement will be over,” Even threatened but really, it was an empty one because well. He _had_ seemed pretty desperate in the photo booth.

Isak grinned, enjoying this way too much. “Sure, Evvy.” And then he darted out of reach, helping Sybille with their groceries.

The ride back to Even’s place was filled with Sybille’s incessant chatter that Isak had no trouble engaging in, coming up with the most ridiculous stories Even and he had experienced. It was fun. He didn’t have this much excitement in his life and this was exactly the kind of story that would shake things up a little.

When they arrived, before Sybille could shoo Isak into the kitchen right away, Even cut in, “Isak! Come to my room. You can… put your stuff there.”

The only stuff Isak had were his groceries, he didn’t even wear a jacket. But Sybille winked at them exaggeratedly and took the bag with the groceries from Isak. “I’ll put them in the kitchen for you… take your time, boys!”

Even groaned but pulled Isak into his room anyway. “So… how are we gonna go about this?” Even asked, gnawing on his bottom lip.

Isak shrugged, discarding his hoodie somewhere on the floor and turning in a circle to take the room in. “I don’t know! You started this whole thing! I don’t even know you!”

“You continued it!” Even accused.

Isak opened his mouth to reply when he froze. _Shit. Shitshitshit. Fucking shit_. “Fuck! I forgot about the condoms.”

Even apparently didn’t see the problem here. “No one’s getting laid tonight,” He pointed out.

“No!” Isak pinched the bridge of his nose, squeezing his eyes shut, “I forgot about the condoms I bought tonight. That are with the other groceries. Which your mother has now.”

“You bought condoms when my mother was right there?” Even screeched.

The corners of Isak’s mouth twitched. “To be fair, I forgot about them and then she was all over me and I didn’t have a chance to put them away.” He couldn’t help it. He burst into laughter and a moment later Even joined in.

“This is a disaster,” Even wheezed.

Isak couldn’t disagree. But he also didn’t mind. “Alright, let’s just do this. I’m hungry.” They had winged it so far, Isak just hoped they could keep doing it.

Isak knew Sybille for half an hour but he already knew that she wouldn’t just ignore the condom thing. It didn’t make it less mortifying when she said right as they entered the kitchen, “That’s a good brand! It’s reassuring to know you’re practicing safe sex!” And then she threw the pack at Isak who just barely caught it.

He felt his face heat up, staring at the condoms dumbfounded. This was so awkward. He wondered if it were more awkward if they actually had sex together or if this was already peak awkwardness. “Uh… yeah. I’ll just—“ He waved the pack around, trying to come up with words. “I’ll just start cooking,” He finished miserably, eyes darting to Even for help.

Even was grinning, seemingly much more comfortable than before. “I’ll help you,” He offered and directed at his mother, “You can just go and read a book or something.” His tone clearly said they wanted to be left alone and Sybille actually gave them that when she left the kitchen with a smile on her lips that hadn’t vanished ever since she had spotted Isak in the supermarket. Even went to close the door after her, telling Isak over his shoulder, “She’s prone to eavesdropping so this gives us at least some privacy.”

Isak lowered his voice as he bustled around the kitchen, opening drawers to see where the things he needed to cook were. “Maybe we should agree on some basics in case they come up?” He suggested as he triumphantly held up a cutting board.

“I can’t cook,” Even blurted, a blush on his cheeks.

Isak raised his eyebrows, chuckling. “I work better on my own anyway,” He shrugged, “Just sit down and look pretty.”

Even grinned. “Pretty I can do,” He agreed, sitting down at the kitchen table.

Isak liked that Even seemed to get more comfortable with the situation. “I know,” He winked, enjoying how easy they could flirt with each other the more they talked.

“So… the condoms,” Even said at some point when Isak put the ravioli in the boiling water.

Isak almost choked on his own spit because he had just told Even about always making this specific dish together with his mother ever since he had been little. The transition was just a little abrupt.

As Isak didn’t reply anything, Even prompted, “Are you seeing anyone? Does it make this weird for you?”

“I’m seeing you, aren’t I?” Isak grinned as he stirred the sauce. He got this strange feeling in his stomach when he realised that Even not so subtly tried to find out if he had a boyfriend. The grin turned into a full-blown smile when Even suddenly appeared next to him, leaning against the counter casually but his eyes were searching.

Even prodded his side. “Are you seeing anyone _on the side_ then?” He asked.

Of course there were hookups. Life without sex sounded pretty damn boring, even though he hadn’t met anyone yet that he could imagine more than a one night stand with. But Isak wasn’t sure if he wanted to discuss this with Even. Especially when there was the possibility that he could actually really start to like Even. “Only you, Evvy,” He lied, managing to keep up the smirk.

Instead of the blinding smile Isak expected, the mood changed again and Even seemed deep in thought before he admitted, “My mother was worried about me. That’s why I made up a boyfriend.”

“Worried?” Isak furrowed his brow, stepping closer to Even because that was what he’d do with his friends. When they were down, he’d try to comfort them and despite not knowing Even for that long, he considered them at least friends right now.

Even nodded, swallowing hard. He didn’t meet Isak’s eyes, instead looked down to where Isak was wrapping his fingers around Even’s wrists. “I’m bipolar and I had a pretty bad episode not so long ago and I— cut myself off from pretty much everyone for a while. And she insisted that I needed someone else beside my therapist to confide in and. I just was so tired of it, you know? I can deal with my illness by myself. I don’t need her to be so worried that I will never make meaningful connections. That’s just bullshit. So yeah. Fake boyfriend seemed like the solution… I’m sorry I dragged you into that. _Shit_ , sorry for just dropping my shit on you.”

Isak felt his heart beating heavily in his chest. That was a lot to take in. But all he could really focus on was that he just felt closer to Even now that he knew this big thing about him. “Thanks for trusting me enough to tell me that,” Isak whispered, “I’m sure that wasn’t easy.”

The expression on Even’s face was full of awe and before Isak even realised what was going on, Even darted forward and kissed him. “You make it really easy to trust you,” He whispered against Isak’s lips.

And Isak was just so overwhelmed? He felt warm all over and he’d never had this feeling of _something more_. Now that he had had a taste of it, he wasn’t sure he could let go. 

So he didn’t for now. He kissed Even, loving how pliant he got under his touch, how easily he opened his mouth for him and how Even’s moan thrummed through his whole body. Isak pressed into him against the counter, his hands sneaking under Even’s shirt to feel soft skin beneath his fingertips.

The sizzling of the water boiling over brought Isak back to reality. He barely noticed that he was tasting blood on his tongue when he cursed, “Fuck, the ravioli!”

At the same time, Even mumbled, “You little minx, you bit me!” His voice sounded muffled and when Isak looked back at him for a brief second to check why that was, he saw that Even brushed his fingers against his bleeding lip.

Isak couldn’t help but giggle. “I’m sorry,” He laughed as he poured the water down the drain, “Can you set the table and get Sybille?”

Even’s face was almost as red as his bloody lip when he nodded and did as he was told.

Isak had momentarily forgotten that he’d also meet Even’s father but Fredrik was as much of a sunshine, eager to find out about his only son’s boyfriend, as Sybille was and they were praising the food so much that Isak couldn’t stop grinning, barely noticing that Even had troubles meeting his gaze or returning his smiles.

He only realised that when he lay in bed hours later that night. The phantom feeling of Even’s lips on his still there but also the feeling that this had been the only kiss he’d ever get from Even.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Every single comment and kudos puts a smile on my face and encourages me to keep going <3


	3. The Best Friend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's four minutes after the time I gave myself to finish it but I guess that's alright.  
> The things I do for you, Mack <3

“Hey loser!”

Mikael pushed past Even and Even couldn’t do much more than follow his best friend into the living room, eyeing him confused. “What are you doing here?” He was pretty sure they weren’t supposed to hang out today. 

All that earned him was an unimpressed look and an over-dramatic, “I came here to ignore you!”

Even squinted his eyes, flailing his arms around. “What’s the point?”

“So you know I ignore you!” Mikael pouted, getting more comfortable on the sofa.

Even rolled his eyes, falling down on the other sofa. “And why do you feel the need to do that?” He sighed dejectedly. He couldn’t think of anything that would warrant being “ignored” by his best friend.

Mikael huffed, “Sybille told me.”

It took a lot to not roll his eyes again. “Told you _what_?” He asked and forced himself to stay calm. There was no reason for him to yell at Mikael— except, well, he could just fucking spit out what his problem was.

“She texted me that you have a boyfriend and didn’t think to tell _me_! Or anyone for that matter.”

_Oh there we go._ Even groaned. He should have expected this. But to be honest, he had tried not to think about Isak yesterday and this morning because of that disaster of a dinner. Or it wasn’t really a disaster, not the food at least, that was great, but the kiss. Even shouldn’t have kissed Isak. That was such a stupid thing to do. But he’d been so overwhelmed by Isak’s kindness that he couldn’t help himself. Even pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind, focusing back on Mikael and deciding _not_ to humour him. “You know it’s weird that you’re texting with my mother?”

Mikael outright glared at him now. “It’s not,” He said flippantly, “Even, you and I are best buddies, of course I text with Sybille and meet up for coffee. And we have one thing in common anyway… You know, I’m kinda hurt that, _as your best fucking buddy_ , I had to hear from your mother that you’ve been in a loving relationship for the past couple months.”

Even tried to stay calm. Did Mikael really think he wouldn’t tell him if he actually got a boyfriend? Not that there was a way to get out of this unscathed now. “I’m sorry,” Even mumbled, wondering if it was a good idea to just outright tell his best friend that Isak wasn’t _actually_ his boyfriend even though that probably meant that his mother would find out about that probably five minutes later.

But it wasn’t like he could keep up the pretence for much longer. He didn’t even have Isak’s number to beg for his assistance again.

“There’s one way you can make up for it,” Mikael announced grandly.

Even nodded, already calculating how he could make it work to pay for both his and Mikael’s ticket for their weekly _Best Buds Date_ to the movies.

However, that wasn’t what Mikael had in mind. “Introduce your boy to us. Tomorrow. We’re hanging out anyway… just bring him along.”

Even paled. This was absolutely impossible. “Isak can’t tomorrow,” He rushed out much too quickly, “He has this— uh. He. Cooking! With his mother! Like, it’s a whole thing!”

Mikael eyed him suspiciously, then shook his head slowly. “I don’t believe you. If I’m correct in my assumption that you wouldn’t date a forty year old creeper, there is no chance that a nineteen year old boy would actually, _voluntarily_ cook with his mother.”

There was absolutely no logic behind that but the only thing Even managed to say was, “He’s two years younger than me. He’s seventeen.” And well, that didn’t really help his case in Mikael’s eyes.

“It’s settled then!” Mikael grinned and then stood up. “Okay, great. I’m glad we solved this so quickly. I have to drive Maja to her ballet lessons.”

Leaving Even no chance to argue, he was out of the living room and then out of the house. Even screamed into the couch cushions until he heard a key turn in the lock of the front door.

A second later, he heard his mother’s cheery voice call out, “I met Mikael downstairs! He’s so excited to meet your boyfriend, too! I’m so glad you decided to introduce him to us, Evvy!”

Even barely refrained from screaming again. “One, _why_ are you so close to _my_ best friend? Two, I did _not_ want to introduce him to you, you ambushed him in a grocery shop. Three, only Isak is fucking allowed to call me _Evvy_ so just stop!”

He heard his mother taking off her coat and shoes before he joined him in the living room. “No swearing in this house,” She scolded him with a stern expression before she grinned again, all soft and gooey and— Even felt sick. “Evvy is such a cute nickname! I want to call you it too!” She added a pout as if that did anything to change Even’s mind.

“Only. Isak. Calls. Me. That,” He pressed out, shooting her a warning look.

She raised her hands defensively. “Alright, alright,” She conceded, “I’ll just ask him if he can come up with another cute nickname for you I could call you!”

“Mamma, _no_!” Even exclaimed in horror.

Laughing, she ruffled his hair. “Are you hungry? I could make something,” She offered.

Even shrugged. To be honest, he felt like his stomach was in knots so eating something seemed impossible before he hadn’t figured out how to either get Isak to show up tomorrow, even though he probably hated Even for that stupid kiss, or how he could get out of it. “Uh mamma?”

She was already almost out of the door before he made the decision. He really had nothing to lose. “Yes?”

Taking a deep breath, he steeled himself, hoping this would go well. “My phone fucked up. It did this stupid update and somehow it deleted all my contacts and stuff. Could you give me Isak’s number?” There were two things that benefitted Even when it came to his mother: she was noisy as fuck so she made it a habit to collect phone numbers from everyone he knew (Mikael was luckily the only one who supported her in that ridiculousness) so while he didn’t witness Isak — probably reluctantly — giving his number to her, Even wasn’t doubting that it had happened. The other thing was that she had no clue about technology so she wouldn’t question what Even had just said.

So she pulled her phone out of her pocket without asking questions and while she was looking for the contact, she said, “I already asked him if he wanted to join us for dinner again sometime next week. I’ll cook this time. But he hasn’t answered yet.”

There was a chance that Even had never groaned more in his life than in the last week. “Mamma! Can you like _chill_?” He begged, though he didn’t have much hope.

She just rolled her eyes. “Even, I have to make up for _three months_ in which you didn’t tell us! I want him to know I’m a good mother-in-law!”

Now this was getting so ridiculous that Even almost started laughing. “Seventeen and nineteen. We’re not gonna get married in the next ten years. _At least_.” Not that they were ever going to get married. “But I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before… we wanted to make sure it’s serious, you know?” Fuck it. This was doomed anyway. Might as well lay it on thick.

Naturally, all his mother took from that was the possibility that there could be a wedding one day. She screeched happily before she finally dictated Isak’s number to Even.

 

For some reason, Isak had agreed to meet Even’s friends so they were now waiting for Mutta to open the door for them.

Strangely enough, Even wasn’t at all nervous though. He had been through so much with the boys, could count on them even when he had desperately tried to push them away after his episode that had caught them just as off guard as him. But they had never left his side and he knew they’d welcome any boyfriend of his with open arms.

And as he looked at Isak now, dressed as casual as Even himself, and cracking a smile even though they both were a little awkward around each other because Even was still so embarrassed about kissing Isak and Isak probably still thought he was stupid for having done that, he just thought that no one could ever not like Isak.

“Even!” Mutta exclaimed while ripping the door open and then he did the shoulder bump/hug thing they always did. “And you must be Isak! I’m Mutta,” He grinned, putting his attention on him, “Mikael told us all about you.”

“Mikael?” Isak asked confused.

Mutta rolled his eyes. “Yeah, _Mikael_. He had to get all the information about you out of Sybille, because _this one_ ,” He pointed an accusing finger at Even, “Didn’t think it was important to tell us about the boy he’sbeen going steady with for three fucking months!”

Even had hoped that having the point where they had supposedly got together so close to when everything had gone to shit would keep his friends — and mother — from mentioning it so much but apparently they could only focus on the _betrayal_.

“Has it been three months already?” Isak asked, raising his eyebrows in surprise. And fuck, maybe Even should have mentioned that, they could have gotten in trouble. “It feels like not even a week ago that we met,” Isak grinned. _The little shit._

Even forced a laugh out. “Time flies, huh?” So maybe he was a little nervous, but only about the fact that this might end in a disaster.

At first, everyone was all over Isak, introducing themselves and pointing out once again how Even had kept him a secret and it took a full fifteen minutes until they finally settled down on the sofa and Mutta handed out beers to everyone except Even to whom he gave a coke.

Usually, when they all hung out, the night consisted of endless rounds of FIFA and discussions of exceptionally well game play (Mutta) to awfully terrible game play (Yousef) interspersed with Mikael and Even getting passionate about another great movie they had seen. Even was pretty sure not much would be different today when Mutta set up the game and Isak proclaimed that he was the master of FIFA.

It didn’t take long that the first questions started to rain down on Isak and Even was kind of thankful for it because it meant he’d learn some new things about Isak as well.

“I’m in my second year at Nissen,” Isak answered to one question.

“Nissen,” Adam sighed as if that was the worst thing possible, “We were all Bakka boys.”

Isak took his tone in stride. “Bakka,” He huffed, adopting a similar voice, “That explains a lot about why Even is always so pretentious.”

“Hey!” Even pouted, boring his fingers into Isak’s side to tickle him as revenge.

Isak giggled that lovely laugh of his and _fuck_ , Even was so smitten! He almost exploded with happiness when Isak melted a little more into his side after it had seemed like he had kept his distance before. “Maybe you should have considered repeating your third year at Nissen instead of Bakka,” He whispered, raising his eyebrows suggestively.

Even kind of regretted that he hadn’t done that because he _had_ considered it but the Elvebakken people had forgotten about the incident quickly so it hadn’t been necessary. If he had changed schools, maybe he would have met Isak differently. Where they didn’t have to pretend. “Maybe you just have to be okay with dating a pretentious Bakka boy,” Even teased.

Isak smirked, “He’s lucky he’s cute then.”

Even blushed. Of course he did. Even more so when Elias hooted, “Lovebirds, are you here to flirt and ignore the rest of us or trash talk Yousef?”

So they trash talked Yousef. But not without stealthily looking at each other over and over again. And Even let himself hope that maybe their kiss wasn’t as much of an embarrassing mistake as he felt it was.

Eventually, they played a game against each other, the guys around them making bets into how bad of a fight they’d get if one or the other one. They were halfway through the game and Even couldn’t believe he was about to win when Isak turned to him, grinning when he promised breathily, “If you let me win, I’ll let _you_ put what I bought the other day to good use.”

Even knew immediately that Isak meant the condoms and he also technically knew that he wouldn’t actually get to use those condoms with Isak but he dropped the controller anyway in a nanosecond and threw his hands in the air. “I give up!”

Isak laughed, licking his lips triumphantly as he scored a couple goals now that there was no opposing team any more and the other boys were unsure if they were impressed by Isak’s snake-y skills or disappointed by his cheating. Isak winked and mumbled, “Let’s see if we can make you a _sore_ loser.”

It drove the boys wild. Well, it also drove Even wild. He really couldn’t be blamed for getting a boner for his fake boyfriend in front of his friends. Isak was playing dirty.

“How did you meet by the way?” Yousef asked when they had all calmed down a little — no one had to know that Even hadn’t yet.

Isak furrowed his brow, stuttering some before he cleared his throat and took a long sip of his beer. Even squinted his eyes when he realised what Isak was doing: he was dodging the question. “We met in a photo booth,” Even blurted because he was an idiot.

The widening of Isak’s eyes told him that Isak thought the same.

“A photo booth?” Mikael piped up, intrigued. (Always excited for a story that could turn into an epic movie.) Though he furrowed his brow when he said, “Sybille said you met in a restaurant.” 

Right. They had come up with some bullshit getting together story for Even’s parents that he had completely forgot about. Damn that weird friendship between Mikael and Even’s mother. “Uh…”

As seemed to become a habit, Isak came to his rescue. “That’s where we got together. You asked how we met…” He pointed out.

Even nodded enthusiastically. There was a reason he wanted to become an artist or director or something equally as creative; his imagination was quite good so after that little bit of help from Isak, he could continue, “I needed to take pictures for my ID because, you know, I destroyed mine? When— you know.” Fuck, he should have realised that talking about his episode wasn’t a great idea. Though he wanted to keep the story as close to the truth as possible and he had gone to take pictures for his new ID that day, which he now realised he had never actually got around to. Isak suddenly putting his hand on his knee, gave him the strength to go on, “And then this grumpy blonde angel boy came and demanded I hurry up because he needed to get to a study session with his best bud and well, I charmed him into going out with me and now we’re here.”

Isak teased, “You _begged_ , babe. I merely felt sorry for how desperate you were.”

“Shut up,” Even pouted.

“Aww, I’m sorry. Don’t be upset. You might get me to agree that you were too cute for me to resist,” Isak told him, lifting his hand to cup Even’s cheek in it, his thumb brushing against Even’s skin, leaving behind a burning trail.

_All for show, all for show_ , Even kept repeating when Isak shyly pecked him on the lips, but it was hard to believe that when all seven of them, after getting tired of FIFA and switching to watch whatever was on TV right then, ended up in a warm cocoon surrounding Even, Isak closest to him with head comfortably resting against Even’s chest.

It felt real and Even never wanted to let go of it and in that moment, he could actually believe that he might be allowed to have this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading I hope you liked it! Let me know with kudos or comments <3


	4. The Bathroom

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was so fucking fun to write. Enjoy a shit ton of fluff <33

“Who is Even Bech Næsheim?”

Isak almost fell off the chair he was balancing on on its hind legs. They were in the school cafeteria for lunch and he had not expected such a question to come up. “What?”

“Even Bech Næsheim,” Magnus repeated impatiently, ignoring the fact that Isak had almost, most definitely, died if it hadn’t been for Jonas and Mahdi reflexively reaching out to steady him.

It was somewhat funny to Isak that until a minute ago, he hadn’t even known his fake boyfriend’s surname. “Even,” He said slowly, clearing his throat and then coughing as if that helped anything. His friends were still curiously watching him. “He’s…”

“ _Even Bech Næsheim_ ,” Magnus, ever eager, seemed to be reciting from his phone, “ _Photographer. Director. Artist. Survivor._ ”

Isak snatched the phone from his friend. He was met with an Instagram profile and exactly the bio Magnus had just read and an artsy icon that showed his boyfriend— _fake_ boyfriend smoking, looking much cooler than Isak had ever seen him. “Pretentious,” He snorted under his breath but he was a little disappointed to realise that the profile was set to private so he couldn’t see any actual posts.

Isak had called Even a sore loser a couple of days ago but he was the _real_ sore loser because he had played himself when he had met Even’s boys. His endless teasing had made him fucking horny and making use of the condoms with anyone but Even seemed like the wrong thing to do which was why his own hand had been his only relief. So now he was fucking sore. And the biggest loser of them all. _Fuck him_. Literally please.

Jonas piped up, “Who is this dude then?” And Mahdi added, “Where do you even always find those random people, Mags?”

Magnus seemed contemplative for a moment before he replied, “Isak was tagged in a photo by someone called Elias Bakkoush and so was that Even and they. Well.”

Isak realised two things that made him break into a cold sweat: someone must have taken a picture of them while hanging out and _Bakkoush_ sounded like Elias was somehow related to Sana. The first one implied that Even and he would probably look super cosy in said picture because Isak had been a little bit drunk and a lot needy and the second one meant that the chances were pretty high that one of the girls would see the picture soon just like Magnus had and then it was only a matter of time until everyone knew about Isak’s supposed boyfriend and he really didn’t want to deal with the questions.

(Which was a lie because he had, after much contemplation, tentatively agreed to Sybille’s suggestion to have dinner again on Saturday, which would mean _all_ of the questions. But he just wanted to grab any chance he got to spend more time with Even before it was over.)

“Who even looks at the pictures someone tags someone else in?” Isak asked, hoping that no one noticed his mildly panicked tone. He wasn’t sure if he even wanted to see the picture.

Though when Mahdi and Jonas inspected the picture curiously, Isak couldn’t hold back either so he took the phone from Mahdi. And there they were, flushed cheeks and bright smiles, looking like they were in their own world even when the rest of the boys were huddled around them.

Isak would say he was embarrassed but instead of that, he made a mental note to take a screenshot of the picture later — and follow Even on Instagram.

When Magnus finally answered, Isak had almost forgotten the question already. “No one,” He shrugged, “But I noticed Julian had commented on it so I checked it out.”

That immediately got variations of “Oh for fuck’s sake, Magnus!” out of all of them and Jonas added, “Stop stalking the dude, what the fuck?”

“It’s not stalking!” Magnus insisted with a pout.

Isak sighed, feeling a little bad for his friend. “It kind of is when you look for his activity on Insta.” He patted Magnus’ arm comfortingly albeit a little condescendingly.

Now he looked truly frustrated. “He hasn’t called or texted or anything since our date. I thought we had a good time!” Magnus explained.

Mahdi, always the voice of reason — if Jonas wasn’t quicker which basically never happened; too laid back, that one — pointed out, “Julian’s a third year, he’s probably busy with like, Russ stuff! And your date was just yesterday, wasn’t it?”

Isak hoped that really was the case, for Magnus’ sake because he usually wasn’t really lucky when it came to dating and he deserved someone who loved him. Not that Isak would ever admit that out loud.

The chance of his friends having forgotten about him and the Even Mystery TM was too good to be true. When Magnus was thoroughly comforted, three expectant gazes where back on Isak. (Did lunch break always last this long?) “So… Even…” Jonas said slowly, encouragingly.

“He’s my boyfriend, oh my god!” Isak exclaimed, “Now fuck off!” And of course that was the moment the break was over, saving Isak one second too late.

 

For the rest of the school day, Isak had to listen to his friends asking him all kinds of questions, throwing accusations at him much like Even had probably heard from his friends. He’d curse Even for putting him in that mess, taking any kind of peace and quiet away from Isak but if Even hadn’t been so desperate, they wouldn’t have met and Isak really, really liked the guy.

However, he was about to revoke that statement when the end of the school day meant the end of invasive questions and he wanted to get away from school grounds as fast as possible but his intentions were shot down when the cheery voice of one Vilde Hellerud addressed him.

“So Magnus told me…”

Isak turned out the rest of her sentence, knowing anyway what she was saying. _Fucking Magnus_. You know, once upon a time he had thought it was cute that they got so close when they had figured out their sexualities together but now it was fucking dangerous.

Because things like Magnus immediately telling Vilde about Isak’s fake boyfriend who he thought was real and Isak wouldn’t mind being real happened. And if _Vilde_ knew stuff, _everyone_ knew stuff.

“As your friends, we deserve to meet him!” Vilde concluded her speech that Isak had paid absolutely no attention to.

Isak should have known that a familial connection between Even’s friends and Isak’s friends was unnecessary when Vilde Hellerud was your friend. “Fine,” Isak sighed, because any arguing was just pointless, “When and where?” They could plan this whole _Meeting Isak’s boyfriend_ for themselves, Isak wouldn’t do a single thing for it. 

Vilde beamed at him. “Eva offered her house. Her mother is on another business trip and we can just all hang out together! It’ll be so cosy! Oh, we could turn it into a Kosegruppe get-together! Brilliant idea,” She said that last bit as if Isak had come up with something as dreadful as inviting the Kosegruppe to something where his friends were supposed to meet his boyfriend.

This got slightly out of control.

Isak groaned when Vilde kept muttering about party arrangements (and when exactly did this turn into a party?) and left her standing there without so much as a goodbye.

 

Friday, the day of his friends meeting Even came around way too fast in Isak’s opinion.

After stressing over his clothes and hair for way too long, he was only twenty minutes late to meet Even at the tram stop they had agreed on. He couldn’t quite believe when he caught sight of Even that they were in somewhat matching outfits. Both of them wore plaid shirts, though Even had his buttoned up while Isak wore a plain white tee underneath; and Even was in blue jeans and Isak wore black skinnies.

Even wrapped him up in a hug that was so warm and nice that Isak stayed in the embrace a little longer. He wouldn’t admit it out loud, but his nerves were kind of killing him. “You smell nice,” He mumbled, burying his nose deeper in Even’s chest and tightening his arms around him.

“Why, thank you, Isak,” He replied, holding Isak a little longer without commenting on it. When they eventually pulled apart as their tram was coming to a halt in front of them, he tugged on one of Isak’s curls that were peeking out of his red snapback, “We’re boyfriend goals. Look at us in our matching outfits.” His face was crinkled up in a happy smile and Isak was thinking _fuck it_ and about to kiss Even when the tram doors opened and people exited it, jolting Isak and Even around a bit because they hadn’t stepped aside before.

After boarding the tram and standing closer together than strictly necessary, their hands touching where they held onto the pole, Even said, “I could have picked you up at your house, you know.”

Isak grimaced, shaking his head. His mother was in a good place these days, getting the help she needed, but Isak would never dare lie to her about something this big. About something that could easily blow up in their faces and trigger another episode for her. He couldn’t lie about having a boyfriend. It had to mean something for her to find out. “You can only meet my mother when this is real,” He worried his bottom lip, looking uncertainly up at Even through his lashes. _When_ not _if_. The implications of that were right there and he didn’t plan on taking them back.

“Okay,” Even replied with a small smile, not letting on if he understood what Isak had been saying. But his hand reached up to rest against Isak’s neck and jaw, his fingers twisting at the little curls at the back of Isak’s neck and Even’s eyes were glittering, his gaze so intense that Isak stopped breathing, hoping, _praying_ that Even would lean in to kiss him.

He didn’t though and Isak tried not to be disappointed.

Even huffed a laugh when he pulled his hand away and Isak subconsciously shuffled yet closer because he missed the contact. “You know,” Even mused, “I can’t believe you actually let my mother talk you into joining us for dinner tomorrow.”

He absentmindedly reached for the hem of Even’s shirt and played with it. Rather than telling Even that it didn’t actually take a lot of effort on Sybille’s part, he just said, “She seemed so excited. And I like your mother, I didn’t want to make her unhappy.” Except that he had to once this was irrevocably over.

“She likes you too,” Even mumbled, “A lot.”

This felt far beyond a confession only concerning Sybille and once again, Isak wanted to kiss Even until neither of them could think clear anymore.

But then the tram came to a halt and Even grabbed his hand, pulling him outside.

“Okay, so what do I have to expect?” Even asked casually, as if he wasn’t still holding Isak’s hand as they walked toward Eva’s house.

Isak tried to get his heart rate under control. He was surprised that he sounded completely nonchalant, “ _A lot_. Think your friends but ten times more intense. Vilde is… well, she’s Vilde. She’ll be overbearing and loud and excited — thinking about it, she’d probably get along brilliantly with your mother. So in short, she’s like one of the best people I know. And then there’s Magnus, who’s best friends with Vilde so that should say a lot already… he’ll ask lots of inappropriate questions and actually, he’ll probably be in love with you after knowing you for a minute.” Because who wouldn’t fall in love with someone like Even instantly?

Even laughed. “Your friends sound amazing.”

Isak smiled, feeling himself relax a little. He shouldn’t be this nervous to begin with. This wasn’t him. His friends were great and just because he was introducing someone to them for the first time didn’t mean it had to be a big deal. (Well, they were heading to a party in his and Even’s honour so it kind of was a big deal but whatever.) Anyway, this wasn’t real. If it turned out that they didn’t like Even — which was basically impossible — it shouldn’t matter.

However, the fact that Isak wanted it to matter should clue him in on why he was so nervous.

“They are,” He agreed belatedly, smiling softly, “We’re this big gay squad that just loves each other a whole lot.”

“Oh, fun!” Even exclaimed excitedly and then more gently, “I’m sure there’s no reason for you to be worried, Isak.”

Isak glared at him. “Shut up, Evvy. I’m not nervous!” He lied.

Even nodded, clearly humouring him. But there was one good side about Even not believing him: he let go of Isak’s hand briefly to instead wrap his arm around Isak’s shoulders, which got them super close again. Raising the arm that was pressed into Even’s side, he started playing with Even’s fingers, revelling in the way Even pressed a quick kiss to his temple, mumbling, “Of course you’re not.”

When Eva opened the door for them, they were still wrapped around each other and neither of them made a move to pull away. They were boyfriends after all, they had to play a certain role to make it believable.

“Wow,” Eva breathed, her eyes raking over Even before darting to Isak, “No wonder you kept him a secret! I would have stolen this handsome boy from you first chance I got!”

Even seemed surprised but Isak just rolled his eyes, laughing. “He’s mine. You have your own gorgeous girlfriend!”

Her eyes widened comically and she nodded enthusiastically. “I do! Come on in, everyone is so excited to meet you. Even, right?” She asked as if she didn’t already know, as if she hadn’t tried to cyber-stalk him as best as he could. (Which wasn’t easy, Isak knew what he was talking about, though he had a slight advantage because Even had quickly accepted his request on Instagram.)

They went inside and the squad was there, lounging on the sofas with beers and wine bottles as well as snacks on the table, music playing in the background. That looked pretty tame so far, Isak was surprised.

_Tame_ , however, wasn’t the right term anymore when they, and especially Even, were bombarded with questions. Isak just stared in awe as Even answered every single question suavely, no matter how silly (looking at you, Magnus).

At some point, Isak caught Sana’s gaze who watched him contemplatively. Isak felt goosebumps rise on his skin because whatever was going through that brilliant head of hers looked like it couldn’t mean anything good.

Immediately paranoid, he scooted closer to Even because until now they had been too far apart for Isak’s liking.

Even was immersed in a discussion with Jonas about some movie both of them had apparently seen which criticised consumerism or something else Jonas was so obsessed with — and Even as well it seemed — but he went willingly when Isak pulled him between his legs, running his fingers up and down Even’s arms and pressing his face against Even’s neck. He never wanted to let go of the feeling of Even’s warm weight against him when both of them were in different conversations but still connected.

Isak wanted to meet Sana’s gaze again, looking smug but he faltered when she raised her eyebrows, smirking knowingly. Like she got confirmation about something Isak had no idea about. He squinted his eyes at her but that just seemed to amuse her more so he focused back on Eva and Noora who were giving him advice on where to take Even on their next date. (Isak took some mental notes.)

The relaxed atmosphere was quickly disrupted when the doorbell rang and Eva’s eyes widened. “Oh, uh. That should be Chris and them…”

The only thing that could mean was that Eva had invited Penetrator Chris and his posse, meaning there’d definitely be a party now. Isak mourned the loss of the quiet night a little but as everyone ushered around to help set up the beer keg and “better music” — according to P-Chris — Isak stayed seated with Even, because he had promised himself and his friends that he wouldn’t lift a finger. And he hooked his arm around Even’s middle to keep him from leaving because of course he would want to help.

“No, you stay, Pretty Boy,” Isak hummed, almost cheering out loud because apparently he had some of his cool back.

It wasn’t like Even put up much of a fight. He laced his fingers with Isak’s where they were resting over his stomach while he held his cup of coke in the other.

Determined to fully get his game back, Isak smirked when he whispered to Even, “You’re so great with them. It’s fucking sexy.”

As they were pressed so close, he felt Even shudder and Isak was pretty sure that restored the last of his confidence. He had as much of an effect on Even as he unknowingly had on Isak. “Told you,” Even replied just as quietly, “Boyfriend goals.”

Isak ran his nose along Even’s jaw teasingly, his hot breath leaving behind a trail of goosebumps. “I really got lucky, huh? All my friends are green with envy.” While that was true, it was also true that Isak was envious of their lack of knowing that this wasn’t real. He’d like to be this blissfully unaware so he could just enjoy this.

The stream of people coming in through the now permanently open door didn’t seem to cut off and soon enough, they were amidst a raging party.

“Dance with me?” Vilde came up to them, holding her hands out as an offer to help them up from the sofa.

Even grabbed them with a smile and Isak could only pout for a moment before he followed them and the three of them jumped and danced around to the music. Isak couldn’t stop laughing, he felt so happy and carefree and whenever his gaze met Even’s, his grin got bigger and Even’s eyes crinkled more.

It was the perfect night.

Every now and then they spotted some of their other friends, some of them joining them for a bit before they were off again but mostly it was just Vilde, Even and him. Until Vilde excused herself to get another drink.

Isak immediately stepped closer, into Even’s space, wrapping his arms around his neck. “Are you having fun tonight?” He made sure, because those were Isak’s friends and Even might have liked knowing more people.

“So much fun,” Even assured him, pulling him closer by the hips.

Isak smiled. “Me too. I… I think I—“ 

Before he could say more, say what he needed to say, that he wanted Even to be his actual boyfriend and if Even could imagine it too, someone bumped into them quite harshly, interrupting the moment.

Even’s brow was furrowed when Isak looked back at him. Isak hated that he couldn’t tell if he had figured out what Isak had been trying to say and he was completely appalled by it or if he was annoyed that Isak had been interrupted. Isak really really hoped it was the latter.

“Let’s get another drink? Go somewhere quieter?” Even leaned down to whisper at him and the hope in Isak’s chest flared because this sounded like Even wanted to go somewhere to be able to talk. And they definitely needed to do that.

The kitchen was luckily empty except for two other people who made their exit soon after Even and Isak entered. “Your friends sure know how to throw a party,” Even said with a smile as he grabbed another can of beer for Isak and poured more coke in his cup.

Isak nodded, cracking the can open and levelling Even with a teasing look, eyebrows raised. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you’re trying to get me drunk,” He held up his beer, bumping it against Even’s cup before raising it to his lips.

“That obvious, huh?” Even winked.

Isak licked his lips and put down his drink. He looked at Even with hooded eyes for a moment, smirking when he saw how the blush on Even’s cheeks deepened the longer he looked at him. He was done playing. Hooking his index fingers in the belt loops of Even’s jeans, he pulled him closer. “Do you have any idea what I’d let you do to me if you weren’t my fake boyfriend?” He asked, maintaining eye contact until Even was squirming, breaths coming out in pants.

“What do you think you’re doing?” That wasn’t Even but Sana, standing in the doorway and eyeing them suspiciously. It was out of the question if she had heard them. And she did not look amused about this new development.

They pulled apart, awkwardly standing next to each other like they were on trial. Isak’s immediate reaction was to blurt, “It’s not what you think it is.” Because it _wasn’t_. Because Isak was tired of fake. Sana just needed to understand that there was no malicious intent behind lying to their friends. Suddenly, Sana’s looks from earlier made a lot more sense.

Sana’s gaze was unimpressed. “So you didn’t lie to everyone?” She demanded, and Isak couldn’t think of a better word than to describe her tone as murderous.

Even cut in, “Look, Sana. Don’t blame Isak… this is all my bullsh—“

Sana raised her finger to her lips, making them immediately shut up. She was scary as fuck. “I’m talking now. And you better listen and take notes.”

Isak had the strange urge to actually pull out a notebook.

“You think I needed you to say it out loud to see through you? You might have fooled everyone else but not me. So it’s time you’re being _real_. Be honest with yourselves. Stop pretending, you big idiots! You even have each other convinced that this is fake when it’s so obvious you’re already halfway in love with each other if not completely.”

_What_. Isak was completely confused. This almost sounded as if Sana wasn’t upset that they had been pretending to date but because they couldn’t see that they had caught feelings along the way. But that seemed impossible. How would she know?

Sana winked at Isak. “You said it yourself, we’re best buds. I know when my best bud has fallen for someone.”

Way to expose him. Of course Isak had planned to tell Even anyway but he was suddenly scared that Even wasn’t feeling the same after all. He looked at Even unsure, who was gazing back at him with this twinkling in his eyes.

“Even?” Isak mumbled quietly because he had no idea what else to say. He shot Sana another look as if waiting for her approval but she was gone already.

A small laugh escaped Even’s lips. “It seemed a wild Sana appeared to call us out only to disappear again once she’s caused the intended chaos.”

His words relaxed Isak. If he didn’t read them wrong he was feeling the same way. “Wanna smoke and talk somewhere? I know a place…”

“Lead the way,” Even agreed, lacing their fingers together.

Isak grabbed the beer he had almost forgotten about from the counter before guiding them through the dancing crowd and up the stairs. Someone was catcalling after them and when Isak craned his neck a little to check who it was, Mahdi and Magnus were giving him thumbs up signs and Jonas had his hands cupped around his mouth, calling, “Go get it, Issy K!” A clear sign he was absolutely drunk.

Isak rolled his eyes, hurrying up to get out of sight before they had the attention of the whole crowd.

He pushed the door open to the upstairs bathroom, taking a deep breath when the sounds of the party were muted as soon as he closed the door behind them again.

“A bathroom, very classy,” Even wiggled his eyebrows at him.

Isak snorted. “Smoke and talk, Even. Don’t let Jonas get in your head. I didn’t bring the condoms anyway…”

Even laughed and that was everything that Isak had hoped to achieve with his stupid comment. 

He looked around the bathroom, shaking his head about himself when he got a little emotional about _a fucking bathroom_. But right here, Isak had come out to his squad one night when they had fled their own party and every time after when someone in their group had come out (Eva as bi, the first one after Isak and only recently Vilde as a lesbian, of whom Isak had been so proud to finally admit it to all of them that he had actually cried with her that night). The bathroom had history.

Isak grabbed the weed from his pocket and then stepped into the bathtub with his legs dangling over the edge, getting started to roll the joint and Even joined him soon. He lit it, taking a deep drag that almost made him cough before he handed it over to Even.

There was some awkwardness hanging in the air because none of them really knew how to _start talking_ butIsak felt as if this wasn’t fake anymore. The moment in the kitchen had made it real, and sure, they still needed to talk about it but they had all night and possibly longer.

Isak reached over to hold Even’s hand again, smiling when Even started running his thumb over his skin. He leaned his head against the tiled wall behind them and turned it so he could look at Even, watching him smoke for a bit. Eventually, he asked, “What’s your earliest childhood memory?” Because he wanted to get to know Even better and this seemed like the perfect opportunity.

Even’s gaze shot to him, obviously surprised. He furrowed his brow, thinking about it for a moment. “Okay, uh. I’m not exactly sure if it’s my earliest memory but it’s definitely my happiest… ever since I was really young, I’d spend Friday nights at my grandparents’ house and it’s quite ordinary, we’d just sit together on the sofa and watch TV, whatever game show was on at that time and I don’t really remember anything specific about it anymore except the _feeling_ of it all, you know?”

Isak smiled, squeezing Even’s hand in his. “That sounds really nice. So you’re really close to them still?”

He nodded, giving the joint back to Isak. “Yeah. I try to see them at least once a week, more if possible. What about you? Do you have an earliest childhood memory?”

Isak shook his head, then nodded quickly after, because of course he had but it wasn’t as nice as Even’s. Not nice at all, in fact. It was a scary memory back when his mother hadn’t been diagnosed yet and while she had gotten help soon after that, he hated thinking or talking about it. One day, but not tonight. “Can I choose not to answer that? Can we keep things happy tonight?” Isak asked meekly, taking a nervous drag.

“Of course!” Even didn’t hesitate to answer. “In fact, we should have like a code word or phrase for when we don’t want to answer. Any ideas?”

Isak contemplated that and then offered, “I don’t know how to make tea?”

“What? Do you really not know?” Even burst into laughter.

Isak rolled his eyes. “No, _the phrase_ , Evvy. Oh my god, of course I know how to make tea! Have you ever actually met someone who doesn’t?”

Even shrugged. “I’m not judging.”

“You literally laughed at me when you thought I couldn’t do it!” Isak spluttered.

Even quieted him with his lips. It was a simple, short kiss that made Isak feel higher than any amount of weed ever could.

Isak giggled when they pulled apart, resting his head against Even’s shoulder.

They finished the joint and then rolled another, conversation flowing easily between them.

It was a long-shot but after who knew how many hours, Isak murmured quietly, “You have ‘ _survivor_ ’ in your Insta bio…” He just needed confirmation that it wasn’t about what he thought it was, needed that niggling worry to be quenched.

When Even hesitated to answer, Isak knew. “I don’t know how to make tea… but. Just, don’t worry, okay? It’s— it’s probably what you think it is but I’m okay now. Please don’t worry, Isak.”

Isak wrapped his arms around him and nodded even though he would worry anyway.

“What’s the most ridiculous thing any of your friends has ever done?” Even asked to get back on the happy track.

Isak took a deep breath, determined to not think too hard right now. For good measure, he took another drag of the almost finished joint. “Magnus,” He said while blowing out the smoke.

Even by now had a pretty good understanding of who Isak’s friends were based on the stories he had told so he laughed, “Of course.”

And so Isak told the story about how Magnus had once believed he had made out with a girl who had an actual cat tongue (whatever that is) and then he had actually hosted auditions to find that girl — needless to say no one had showed up for it — only to later grudgingly admit that he had come to the realisation that that had been a dream. Isak had never again asked about Magnus’ dreams again and tried not to listen to Magnus when he told them of his dreams unprompted.

It made them both laugh and forget the dark cloud that had over them for a few minutes.

After a while, Isak felt the tiredness that always got to him when drinking and smoking and he yawned several times, earning Even’s amused gaze. Eventually, he gave in, pushing against Even to somehow get him to change positions.

When Even finally realised what Isak was trying to do, he folded his giraffe legs into the tub and sat himself so that he was taking up most of the space and Isak could fit between his legs, cuddling up to him and nuzzling his face against Even’s chest. He sighed contentedly, and announced, “I’m tired, Evvy,” as if that wasn’t obvious already.

“We’re in a tub, babe,” Even pointed out as if that would keep Isak from falling asleep.

Isak hummed in acknowledgement but mumbled, “I don’t care. I just wanna sleep. Hold me.” 

So Even did.

Isak was almost asleep when Even spoke up again, “What’s with the other 21 %?”

“Huh?”

Even chuckled softly. “The ones that don’t have sex in a photo booth?”

Isak took a moment to come up with an answer. His eyes were half-closed but he leaned up a little anyway to brush his thumbs against Even’s cheeks. “They fall in love.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise, I'm planning a super sappy epilogue
> 
> And I have to say, I'm surprised no one figured the 79 % out before or at least you didn't call me out on it in the comments. Believe it or not, this wasn't actually planned from the beginning but I'm glad I got this genius idea to change a random 86 % to 79 % so I could come up with this absolutely sappy ending.
> 
> Fun Facts: Even talking about his grandparents is me. I love them <33


	5. The Missing Pictures

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I DID IT!
> 
> Sorry, this took a little longer but inspiration left me for a short moment. I hope this epilogue makes up for the wait.
> 
> Enjoy <3

“I do.”

Isak giggled when Even turned away from the microphone and pulled him closer instead. He lifted Isak’s hand to his lips, pressing a kiss to where the ring was gleaming on his finger.

“I’m sorry, I just had to say it again,” Even said, not looking apologetic at all. His gaze was full of love and if it weren’t _their day_ , it would probably be considered rude that they ignored the people in front of them for so long.

As it was, their guests just looked at them fondly, waiting patiently until they were ready to give their speech.

After a kiss that lasted longer than strictly appropriate for public, Even pulled away and with laughter still in his voice said, “Thank you so much for joining us on this unforgettable day. I can’t even put into words how grateful I am to have you all with us today.”

Even was intent on continuing the speech but with a smirk, Isak turned the microphone away from him to speak into it instead. “Even tried to convince me this was a bad idea and we shouldn’t say anything but you — and you by the way, too, Evvy — should know me well enough that if I’m not supposed to do something, I’ll do it anyway,” Isak shot Even a glance, delighted by the fact that he looked horrified, “But basically, this was all a hoax.”

He was giggling when confused and shocked whispers rippled through the people in front of them, thinking he had meant _this_ , as in this whole perfect day. He waited a moment to elaborate, because he was a little shit.

“When most of you met either Even or me, we were just pretending to date. I’m sorry, Sybille. I love you, please don’t hate me,” He explained.

Even leaned closer to him and whispered in his ear, “You’re such a little shit.”

Isak’s whole face was scrunched up happily. “It took you ten years to figure that out, _husband_?” Isak blinked at him innocently, still feeling that delicious tug in his stomach every time they kissed. “Though it took like two weeks for us to actually fall in love which… thanks, Sana, you kind of pushed us in the right direction!”

Sana stood up from her seat and mock-saluted him, both of them grinning broadly at each other. And Isak was in awe of her. He had never particularly believed in a god and everything that came with it but looking at Sana in her white hijab and dress she got to wear as maid of honour, he could easily see an angel (not that he hadn’t had his suspicions before already).

Even wrapped his arms around Isak from behind, hooking his chin over his shoulder while Isak leaned into the touch easily and continued the story, “I guess I should also thank you, Sybille, for wanting a boyfriend for your son so desperately. It ultimately brought us together and well, remember that day you met me for the second time? Even and I were official by then.” Turning a little in Even’s embrace to find his mother’s eyes, he told her, “We’d been real for two weeks when you got to meet Even and to be fair, I think he was suddenly more in love with you than he was with me.”

“Not true,” Even whispered immediately, pressing a kiss to Isak’s jaw but Marianne cooed and everyone laughed. He then raised his voice to say, “But humour aside, pulling Isak into my lap in that photo booth that day was the best thing I did in my life… okay, except for marrying this beautiful man today. I love you, Isak, and I’ve never been happier than I am right now. Before we finally get to the fun part of this day — the food — thank you mamma, thank you Marianne for planning this day from the detail of which underwear we wear today to the flavour of the cake. We would have been lost without you. Everything is just perfect!”

Their guests cheered and Even could see some people wiping tears away (mainly Sybille and Marianne) before someone started chanting, “Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!” (Mikael) and the rest joined in, and really, who were Isak and Even to decline them that wish?

The meal was epic. Neither of them had expected anything else when Marianne and Sybille had planned this for years. (They _insisted_ it was only months since the moment Even and Isak had told them they were engaged but no one could convince the couple that the newly mothers-in-law hadn’t been planning this day since the moment they had first met each other). 

Afterwards, the speeches by their friends and family started, leaving Isak teary-eyed and Even’s face scrunched up in the biggest smile.

If they made a ranking of who nailed their speech when it came to “Who can embarrass Even and Isak the most?” Mikael had to get first place because he didn’t say more than, “I hope married sex is as good as not-married sex. It would suck for you if it weren’t. Or _not_ suck if we’re honest. Congrats, Evak!”

Even punched his best friend’s shoulder when he left the stage. “You’re awful, you know that?” 

“Love you, too,” Mikael winked.

When Vilde took the stage, it felt as if everything went quiet. Or maybe that was just the case for Isak because he knew whatever she’d say, it would be absolutely tear-jerking.

“I changed my entire speech after you just told us earlier about how you started out as a fake relationship, wish me luck that I won’t mess up. I’d like to tell a story if that’s okay?” She shot the newly-weds an unsure gaze, who nodded enthusiastically. (Isak might or might not have been crying already.)

Even cuddled more into Isak and Isak was glad to have him closer, could hold him tighter because Vilde was out to _destroy_ him apparently.

“The morning after that epic party at Eva’s to celebrate you two being together — which we now know must have been the moment you _actually_ got together — I found you asleep in the bathtub. In the bathroom that every single one of us came out in and that has heard so many whispered secrets and things we learned to not be ashamed of anymore. To most of you, it sounds probably ridiculous to feel so much about a bathroom, but for us, our squad, this bathroom has always been our safe haven. So to have found you there, curled into the love of your life feels huge. I remember how we all ended up being squashed into the small space, hungover and tired but so excited to see you so loved and carefree, both of you. How we talked for hours and Even, you might not have realised that then and still might not understand it now but that was your initiation into our group. We let you into our safe haven and we saw how much you cared for our Isak and we trusted you with him. Because how could we not? I’ve never seen a love like yours. A love that is so tangible that you feel it in your bones, wrapping around you like a soft blanket. What you have is one in a million and I feel blessed to be allowed to witness it.”

Vilde got thunderous applause but for Isak everything was quiet still. He disentangled himself from Even to go and hug her, holding her so tight that she probably couldn’t breathe. They hugged and hugged and hugged and Isak felt so grateful to have friends like that. Both of them were shaking from crying and it took at least five minutes until they let go of each other. “Vilde, you’re the best person I know. I love you so much,” Isak sobbed, but laughed as he wiped his tears away.

“You sure that isn’t Even?” She asked, smiling through her tears as well, “I’m so happy for you, seriously.”

Isak just couldn’t stop crying. “Oh fuck this,” He huffed, “You’re too pregnant! It’s making you way too emotional and me too!”

Vilde hugged him again, kissing his cheek. “You’re not making sense, Is.”

“Oh shut up!” He pouted.

 

While Isak had been roped into a dragging conversation with one of Even’s aunts, his husband had disappeared. Isak had his suspicions where he was so as soon as he was finally free of Kristin, he went to find Even.

The first words after Even had said yes to Isak’s proposal had been, “We need a photo booth on our wedding day,” for obvious reasons. And it was a highlight of the festivities. Isak and Even wanted their guests to take at least two sets of photos in there, one of which they could stick into an album right away, writing their well wishes next to it and another set which they could take home with them. Naturally, meet cutes in the photo booth were encouraged.

“Hey! You!” Isak heard Even’s giggling voice from behind the curtain before an arm reached for him and pulled him into the photo booth.

Isak landed in Even’s lap with a huff, grinning as he immediately wiggled around so he could comfortably brush his fingers through Even’s styled hair. “Hi,” He smiled, taking in Even’s sparkling blue eyes and the happy smile.

“Halla,” Even hummed, leaning into Isak’s touch.

They just stared at each other for a long moment before their lips met in a loving kiss. When they pulled apart again, Isak’s expression was mischievous. “Hey Evvy, do you think we can hook up in here?”

Even laughed, “As much as I’d love to. The thought of auntie Kristin accidentally walking in on that is kind of a turn off. Don’t you want to be part of the 21 % anymore?”

Isak scrunched up his face at the thought of that woman witnessing them doing that; Even had a point with it being a turn off. “I’ll always be part of those 21 % percent, Pretty Boy,” He whispered. Even had been Pretty Boy at seventeen and nineteen, he still was it to Isak at almost thirty and would be his pretty boy at 95.

So they did get a little wild in that photo booth. Nothing that they’d regret should someone see them but enough to make up for the moments where they couldn’t be all over each other today because they had to tend to their guests as well. Isak changed his position so he was straddling Even instead, licking into his mouth and brushing the tuxedo jacket off his shoulders as if he was a horny teenager again and not a twenty-seven year old lead scientist at NSC.

But Even returned the kisses just as desperately, tugging on Isak’s dress shirt to get it out of his slacks, needing to feel Isak’s heated skin under his fingertips. “I can’t wait,” Even panted into his mouth, “To take you to bed to night… as my husband. Mikael has no idea. This will suck so fucking good.”

Isak grinned against his lips. “So fucking good,” He echoes, grinding his ass against Even’s crotch teasingly, “We’re gonna have so much married sex, it’s gonna be awesome.”

They made out for what seemed like forever, only putting a stop to it when they both felt like bursting and had half a mind to ditch their wedding celebrations completely just to have sex. If Isak stared any longer at Even’s kiss-swollen, plush pink lips, they wouldn’t even make it out of the photo booth after all.

To distract himself, he suggested quietly, “We should take some photos… _oh_! We could recreate the pictures we took when we first met.”

Even was mouthing along his neck, peppering Isak’s jaw with kisses before replying, “We should. Though I never saw the pictures you took with you that day…”

Isak’s eyes widened. “I haven’t shown you?” He asked, seriously surprised.

Even shook his head. “Why did you take them anyway?” He wondered.

Instead of an answer, Isak got off Even’s lap so he could reach the pocket of his slacks better. He revealed the lower part of the photo strip that had ultimately brought them together, yellowed from age and crinkled.

The first one with a ten-year younger, laughing Even showed a smirking Isak but there was a softness in his gaze that turned into almost painful admiration in the second picture when he had been caught off guard by the picture, unable to school his expression into something more appropriate.

Isak had learned over the years that Even, too, looked already just as smitten with Isak so Isak had been sure that he must have shown the photos to his husband at some point. But apparently he hadn’t.

So now Even got to see them for the first time, ten years to the day.

Belatedly, Isak answered, “Because back then, I was scared you’d see how hard I’d already fallen in only five minutes.”

And while Isak had had tears in his eyes all day because he was a mess, Even hadn’t shed a single tear because he could hide his feelings extremely well from everyone except Isak, putting on a cool front. Now though, now Even started crying, overwhelmed by emotion. “I love you so much, babe. I’ve loved you from the very first second you fell into my lap,” He murmured, before capturing Isak’s lips in a wet kiss.

In the recreated pictures, they looked decidedly more wrecked than in the original ones. But just as in love.As they did in every other photograph taken throughout their lives together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe this fic turned into such a big sap fest when I didn't plan to write much more than the first chapter. Thank you to everyone who read it and commented and left kudos. I love you all <3 Come say hi on [tumblr](http://julian-dahl.tumblr.com/)

**Author's Note:**

> I know this was super short, I'm sorry... buuuut there's gonna be at least one other chapter :)


End file.
